At the World Economic Forum in the Swiss city of Davos, an unusually sharp incident occurred between the Israeli President Shimon Peres and the Islamist and Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, who accused Israel of “putting people to death.” On which Peres — who however can not be considered to belong to the more hard line politicians — defended himself by saying: “What would Turkey do if there are ten or a hundred rockets fired on Istanbul?” Erdogan walked away angrily.

In recent years the relationship between Israel and Turkey has deteriorated ever further, although they were loyal allies for a long time. The latter is not that strange as it may seem at first glance. The Turks and Arabs have been regular enemies for centuries. Before the fundamentalist AKP of Erdogan came to power, Turkey was a militant secular state that did not look towards the Middle East, but to the West. Relations with the United States and Israel were very good. In recent years, since the AKP came to power, not only the de facto alliance with Israel has been abandoned, but the entire pro-Western orientation of Turkey.

For more than eighty years the secular and western-minded Turkish elite has managed to maintain its power, thanks to the support of the army. For the last few years they have increasingly been losing their grip on events. The Islamists are becoming stronger year after year, and Islam is gradually, step by step, becoming a sort of state religion. Not officially, but in practice. Parallel to this, Turkey is focusing increasingly on the Middle East, on Iran and the countries in Central Asia where Turkish-related languages are spoken. The recent alliance between Turkey, Iran (!) And Syria is yet another sign on the wall. This is not only a bad sign for Israel. It is also a bad sign for Europe and throughout the Western world. The European Union remains blind and deaf to that dangerous trend and will continue negotiations as if nothing has happened.

Negotiations on Turkey’s accession to the EU should have been stopped a long time ago. A clear condition was declared from the outset that accession negotiations would be suspended if Turkey did not stick to the imposed conditions.

Turkey has trampled these conditions for many years, but the EU just lets it go. The Turks realize only too well that they need not worry. A witness to this is an article on the website of the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, in which the journalist in a satirical manner ridicules the lax attitude of the EU.

The journalist calls a spade a spade: “The term ‘progress report’ is a Brussels’ euphemism for a ‘decline-report’. The text… looks like that of a school report of a difficult student whose parents regularly donate money to the school.”

With the difficult student he obviously meant Turkey and the generous parents symbolize the EU, which in the meantime has already handed out €1.8 billion in grants to Turkey.

On the basis of this comparison, the journalist strikes one blow after the other. “Instead of saying that the boy was a bandit, the report says: ‘He has not yet made enough progress to change to a decent young man’…”

Another euphemism: instead of saying that the boy is obsessed by certain aspects of his religion and is intolerant towards his unbelieving fellow pupils, the report says: “He must learn to respect students from other beliefs.” The first equation relates without any doubt to the human rights in Turkey that are violated too often. The second concerns Islamism in Turkey, which is on the rise again, as shown by the present rule of AKP party of Prime Minister Erdogan.

Conclusion: The Turks are very well aware of their position in the negotiations, and scoff at the lack of decisiveness on the part of the EU. How long will this farce go on?

crystalclear, you assume that the wishes of the EU are that turkey doesn't join. When the first cracks started appearing in Turkey's façade of secularism, the accession process was accelerated. None of the EU's member states really wants turkey inside, but the EU itself - made up of those member states and, indeed, made up of the very same people who otherwise publicly proclaim their opposition to Turkey's accession - somehow still does. Nothing could demonstrate the disconnect between the EU and reality more than this one process.

To make sure Turkey does not come to EU we should reconquer the media first and make sure we are educated - able to anticipate every kind of scenario.

Our weakness is that we are rational - we project our way of thinking tested on a little citizen ground in a large context of irrational powers with long term force of inertia - like decades. Who thinks or better nonthinks on a scale of decades?

EU did so from the beginning. Why should an abstract like EU change?Their clue to success is a regular rhytm of decades.

One cannot be rational and deal successfully with the irrational.One needs additional tools: being spiritual or well versed in genres like Greek comedy (was it spiritual or not?).

Imagine a comedy about Turkey in EU...every country leaving one by one. Finally Turkey left alone with Brussels city - called "Europe". Free Europeans making peppered jokes about going to "Europe" for holidays. the Turks forced to be called "Europeans" as a derogatory term for loosers...

Archonix, despite all that you said is correct and true, I think Crystalclear is right: It's ever more difficult for Turkey to enter the European Union. However, we shall continue alert in case the Troyan Horse can jump across the Aegian Sea.

Considering the Turkish Erdogan, he was a master in his tactics! He got way too popular where he needs to be so to promote Turkish interests:1) Turkey2) The Arab World3) Iran4) Central Asia5) Unfortunetley, in Europe as well, we better face the truth.Erdogan-Islamists 1(000) vs 0 Ataturk's Secular Turkey.